


A Lesson in Humility

by MelodicRunes



Series: Star Wars AU [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Star Wars - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, spider-man homecoming
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Angst, Force Bond (Star Wars), Gen, IronDad and SpiderSon, Irondad, Jedi, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Padawan (Star Wars), Star Wars References, spiderson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 18:21:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19301242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelodicRunes/pseuds/MelodicRunes
Summary: Padawan Peter Parker embarks on a passenger ship in search of an illegal weapons deal. Jedi Master Tony Stark is not pleased.Or, the Staten Island Ferry incident from Spider-Man: Homecoming as a Star Wars AU.





	A Lesson in Humility

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madasthesea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madasthesea/gifts).



> I know I haven't posted in ages! Thank you all for your precious views, comments, and kudos! Real life has been insane lately but I've got more free time to read and write now. 
> 
> I've been inspired by madasthesea's Star Wars AU headcanons and this came to mind. It's not perfect by any means. I am no expert in the Force or Force bonds or the strength of certain Padawans! I'm quite nervous about this one as it's my first foray into the Star Wars universe and I apologize in advance if I haven't done it justice. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Peter crouched behind a trash receptacle, his tufted padawan braid swayed gently with the movement of the ship. He willed the Force to shield him from the vulture-like creatures in front of him. The Force responded with a slight twinge of warning. 

 

_ Danger _ , the young Jedi learner translated. 

 

He closed his eyes, sank deep into the Force, and listened intently.

 

“You got it,” a raspy voice whispered. 

 

“Yeah, in the bag,” came the soft response. 

 

Peter beamed into the Force. He’d found them! The blessed Force had led him straight to both the illegal weapons seller and buyer! His eyes popped open and he took in his surroundings once more. Now to stop them before anyone else got hurt. 

 

_ Protect the innocents _ , he intoned. His Master would be so proud that he’d been able to track and apprehend these guys all on his own, a true mark of dedication and self-sacrifice on Peter’s journey to becoming a Jedi Knight.  

 

He watched as the weapons changed hands, the deal done. As the two prepared to part ways, Peter acted on instinct and Force jumped out of his hiding spot. 

 

“Illegal weapons dealing? On a ferry? There are younglings on board,” he chided with a hint of mirth in his eyes. His lightsaber sprang to life; the Force coursed through his veins and into the sentient sapphire crystal. It vibrated slightly in his hands, another warning of  _ danger _ . 

 

“A padawan youngling,” the seller laughed. “You haven’t even grown into your nerf tail, yet, boy!” 

 

A minuscule flame of anger flared to life deep in Peter and he advanced on the pair, ‘saber held aloft as he called the weapons toward him with the Force. The strange and contorted blasters ripped from the buyer’s hands and hurtled toward him. But something was wrong. The Force was tense with apprehension and doubt suddenly flooded the padawan. The blasters crashed into Peter’s chest and knocked him to the ground with a resounding  _ thud _ . He quickly dumped the blasters on the floor and turned toward his opponents, ‘saber still raised.

 

“Have I grown into my nerf tail now,” he taunted. The Force swirled around him and he basked in its warmth. He didn’t give the ruffians a chance to respond before he attacked. He jumped, somersaulted into the air, and swung his ‘saber in a wide arc above their heads. Several pieces of metal piping clattered to the floor and startled the criminals. Peter quickly used a Force levitation to bend the pipes into shackles around the hands and feet of his prey. He stood back with a smile to survey his handiwork. 

 

“As a  _ padawan youngling _ , I’d expect some backstreet weapons dealers to be, oh I don’t know,  _ tougher _ ,” Peter laughed. His captives squawked at the indignity of the situation. 

 

Thick booted footfalls trampled down the ship’s passageway and all three turned to see who advanced on them. “Halt in the name of the Republic!” 

 

The Force thrummed in warning yet again as Peter turned to face the galactic officers. 

 

“No worries, officers. Official Jedi business here. I’ve got it sorted,” he quipped. 

 

A tug in the Force brought his attention down to the shackled dealer at his feet. The villainous reptilian creature was smiling, at least Peter thought it was a smile, through his clawed beak. But the young padawan didn’t have a moment to spare at the odd look on his captive’s face as the blasters on the floor hummed to life. Peter jumped to grab the infernal weapon, but it was too late. The blasters...well,  _ blasted, _ and exploded a hole right through the bottom of the ship!

 

Peter crumpled to his knees as the weight of the worried passengers came crashing down around his ears. The Force rolled with anxiety and, worst of all, fear. 

 

_ Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.  _

 

Peter clamped his eyes closed and dove head-first into the Force. He swam in it and begged for peace, guidance. As he reached out, he was met with a familiar presence. 

 

_ Master _ , he called through their Force bond. 

 

A picture of the ship’s cockpit flooded the young padawan’s mind in reply. 

 

_ Master is here _ , he thought in elation. Then again,  _ Master is  _ **_here_ ** , came with a budding sense of his impending doom. The danger the Force had tried to warn him about all along? His Master would surely  _ not _ be pleased after all. 

 

Peter jumped to his feet, released his own anxieties (about the present, about the future) into the Force, and focused on the task at hand: defending the innocents. He quickly set to work plugging the giant hole in the ship’s hull as best he could with scraps sheet of metal, holding it in place with as much Force strength as he could muster. He had to protect the terrified passengers above, the galactic officers, and even the villainous scum who started this whole mess. 

 

His stomach dropped as the ship plummeted, the fear of the passengers now palpable. But just as suddenly as the ship dropped, it evened out again. Peter’s heart pounded in his chest, and he released his fears into the Force as a skilled pilot navigated the ship safely to the ground. The ordeal, which seemed to last a lifetime to Peter and the passengers, was resolved in a matter of minutes. Peter breathed a sigh of relief as he joined the throngs of people disembarking the damaged ship. 

 

The young padawan buried himself deeply in the Force and followed its guidance all the way into the Temple, to his and Master Stark’s shared living quarters. He stood, hands in opposite sleeves of his dark brown cloak, and watched the scene of his destruction out of the balcony window. The ship had touched down in a busy thoroughfare, practically on the Temple’s front steps. It had skidded to a halt, despite the pilot’s quick thinking. It lay in a smoldering pile, smoke billowing from its tail end.  

 

_ All those people _ , Peter thought.  _ All those lives. Could’ve ended...because of  _ **_me_ ** _!  _

 

The young boy was overwhelmed with the shame of his actions and he fell to his knees. 

 

_ Padawan _ , snapped a voice across his Force bond. 

 

Peter flinched but knew that hiding from his Master would only make things worse.  He sent an image of their living quarters as a response. He felt Tony’s mounting displeasure flood back and Peter recoiled again. He remembered a conversation they’d had only a few mornings ago as he sank into what Tony would call a sulking mood. 

 

_ “But, Master, I know this cretin is up to something! I feel it in the Force!”  _

 

_ “Be that as it may, it is not for you to investigate, my young padawan.”  _

 

_ “Illegal weapons deals? Out on the streets of Coruscant of all places! How is that not our concern?” The outburst earned him a sharp look from his weary Master. Peter immediately dropped his head in deference.  _

 

_ “Peter, you will stay out of this. Illegal weapons or not, it is not for you to concern yourself with,” Master Tony said firmly.  _

 

_ “Yes, Master,” Peter replied quietly.  _

 

The memory faded as his vision focused on the burning ship in the distance. But he had tried to warn Master Tony from the very beginning and he’d been right. He was right about the whole thing and nobody had believed him, least of all his own Master! Indignation simmered dangerously in the air around him. 

 

“You can’t even be bothered to be here,” Peter muttered petulantly to the window pane.

 

The door to their living quarters slid open to reveal Master Tony Stark himself. Peter fumbled and fell backward landing on his butt. 

 

“What was that,” the Master sniffed, his mouth in a tight line of extreme displeasure. 

 

“M-master! I-” Peter stopped short, suddenly out of breath. Their Force bond was abruptly blank; Tony had shielded himself from Peter. The Jedi Master had never cut off their Force bond before. Peter felt terribly alone and terribly vulnerable. He swallowed in an attempt to squash his sudden fear and scrambled to his feet. 

 

“You deliberately disobeyed me. Went behind my back and did the one thing I told you  _ not to do _ .” Tony’s voice was a deadly quiet yet it echoed throughout their silent quarters. 

 

“Yes, Master, I know, but-” 

 

“No,” Tony said forcefully. “People could’ve died! Innocents could’ve died!  _ You _ could’ve died!” 

 

The dust in the air seemed to stop frozen in place as Master and Padawan struggled to rule over their tempting emotions. Behind Tony’s shield, a war raged. The Jedi found himself both wanting to give Peter the thrashing he so desperately deserved, but also fearful that he had so nearly lost the boy. Peter on the other hand, completely unshielded in his youthful innocence, fought to regain control of his deep shame over his actions, while not quite ready to let go of the arrogance that had landed them in the predicament, to begin with. 

 

“And if you would’ve died, that would’ve been on me,” Tony finally whispered. The dust motes began their descent once again as if something Tony said had released them from their spell. 

 

“I was just trying to be a good Jedi, like you.” Peter’s voice cracked as he replied. 

 

“And I want you to be better.” 

 

Peter’s breath caught in his throat at that and he took a step back. He stared up at Tony for a long, tense moment. The pain etched on his Master’s face finally broke through Peter’s arrogance. He knew only shame for his grave mistake. 

 

Tony stretched out his hand expectantly. “Hand over your ‘saber,” he said without emotion. 

 

Peter balked at the command. “M-master?” 

 

“Your misdeeds due to arrogance could’ve cost countless lives today. It is not the Jedi way. The ‘saber, Padawan.” 

 

“Wha...I...For...for how long,” Peter stammered. 

 

“Until I deem you properly humbled as befitting one your rank. The ‘saber. Now.” 

 

Tears filled the boy’s eyes as he unclipped the precious weapon from his belt. “But...a Jedi is nothing without his ‘saber,” he pleaded. 

 

“If you are nothing without your ‘saber, you shouldn’t have it.” 

 

The beautifully crafted lightsaber was gently placed in the Master’s open palm. Tears streamed down Peter’s cheeks freely as he hung his head, unable to speak. 

 

“You may retire to your sleeping quarters to meditate on the events of the day and the lesson to learned from them.” 

 

Peter practically fled to his room, shutting the door behind him. 

 

Tony looked down at the ‘saber in his hands and sighed. He hated being so firm with Peter, but the boy had nearly gotten himself and others  _ killed _ . He clipped the ‘saber to his belt next to his own weapon and settled on a cushion to meditate, to release his attachment and fear for Peter into the Force. He felt himself enter the lifespring of all living things and welcomed the peace it brought. He was soon deep in a trance. 

 

Several hours later, Tony shook himself from the trance, peace now restored in his soul. It was dark outside, night having arrived while he meditated. And it was unusually quiet within the shared living quarters which were devoid of the usual lighthearted banter between Master and Padawan. 

 

He glanced at Peter’s door but was not surprised to see it still firmly closed. He swiftly rose and listened for signs of stirrings. He was again met only with silence. The Master waved the door aside with a flick of his wrist and approached the sleeping lump on the cot. Light from the common area shown onto the padawan’s young face and illuminated sticky tear tracks. Tony gently sat on the edge of the cot and wiped his Padawan’s cheeks dry with the hem of his cloak. Then he rubbed his hands through the disheveled curls atop Peter’s head, coming to rest on the Padawan’s braid. Tony acted on instinct. He bent down and pressed a kiss to the top of Peter’s head showing affection and attachment that was strictly against the Order. But Tony didn’t care, because this youngling,  _ his youngling _ , was safe.

 

The Force had a humbling lesson to teach them both, and they would learn it together.


End file.
